Summer Bell Pepper Soup

Ingredients
•    6 red/yellow/orange bell peppers (we used 3 red and 3 yellow) - finely chopped
•    2 medium sized white onions - finely chopped
•    3 large cloves of garlic - finely chopped
•    1 dried red Thai chili - finely chopped (optional --- if you don't want a bit of heat, best to leave out the chili)
•    A few sprigs of fresh thyme - finely chopped (approximately one teaspoon when finely chopped)
•    A few sprigs of fresh rosemary - finely chopped (approximately one teaspoon when finely chopped)
•    2 teaspoons of sugar
•    3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
•    1 cup of hot chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)
•    ½ cup of hot water
•    3 good pinches of salt
•    3 good pinches of pepper

Directions
1. Finely chop your onions, garlic, chili, and herbs (keep them separate for now).
2. In a large frying pan over medium heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and your onions with one pinch of salt. Sauté onions until caramelized (approx. 6-7 min.). 
3. Add your garlic, chili, rosemary, thyme, and a good pinch of ground black pepper to your onions. Mix and sauté everything for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside. 
4. Finely chop your peppers. 
5. Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and add half of your finely chopped peppers with one good pinch of salt and a good pinch of ground black pepper. Mixing frequently, fry them for 5-6 minutes until they’re caramelized with a bit of browning. 
6. Add half a cup of hot water and one teaspoon of sugar, continue mixing. Increase heat and fry until the liquid has reduced by 80 percent. This will give your peppers a nice silky texture. Set aside in bowl.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 with the second half of peppers. (Note: We’re doing the peppers in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan in order to get better caramelization).
8. Place peppers and the onion mixture in a blender with one cup of hot chicken stock. Blitz until desired texture. (Note: You can add more chicken stock if you prefer a thinner consistency). 
9. Check seasoning – add more salt if necessary. 

Enjoy!